Rennaldburn’s grounds are 100% organic ~ and, as long as I’m around, always will be. In effect, it’s a bio-diverse 3.2 acre nature reserve, home to a wide range of wildlife.

There’s a newt & frog-filled pond and a meadow planted up with hundreds of native trees, along with an established woodland through which a stream and waterfall runs down a mossy gorge.

Only very small areas of grass are mown ~ with a non-polluting hand-push lawnmower ~ and unused outbuildings provide a haven for bats & swallows. Waste feeds the earth as far as possible; I compost and recycle leftovers from guests as well as my own.

The seventeenth century house is painted with natural lime earth paint and most of the interior is also painted with natural paints, earth pigments and eco finishes. It’s filled with organic woodwork, and fabrics & carpets are made of natural materials.

Everything’s 100% vegan, and toiletries & cleaning products are eco-friendly, for your benefit and that of the septic tank. Laundry is done with almost exclusively with soap nuts; ask if you'd like some to take away with you to try!

Though there’s a dryer in the holiday let side, I either dry clothes outside in the sun or above the woodburner…which runs on locally sourced logs & provides for much of our energy needs.

Rennaldburn’s water is about as good as you can get; it’s double filtered and comes from a spring up the hill. (Meaning when you take a bath it’s also in filtered spring water :) So don’t bring bottled water with you! Re-useable water bottles are provided along with re-useable shopping bags to cut down on plastic waste.

Finally, I just use a bicycle & public transport rather than a car…and this website is powered by GreenGeeks who go beyond carbonneutral to be carbon reducing.

In the summer months, lovely organic veg can be bought from Samye Ling, who also sell some essentials and wholefoods alongside their huge range of Buddhist wares and gifts.

They have a very good café and, if you book at least 24 hours in advance by emailing reception@samyeling.org, you can have an all-you-can-eat style vegetarian lunch for £5.

In Eskdalemuir, there’s a wee shop in the community centre Hub; they also have a café and gallery. Their opening times can change seasonally, so it’s best to check first; they’re on 01387373760

Up past Samye Ling is an observatory, sited there because of the absence of light pollution here. Worth knowing because, on a clear night, the valley has breathtakingly starry skies. You could even astrologically co-ordinate your holiday to view an eclipse, or one of the year’s cyclical meteor showers.